During the last few quests in the Winterhold storyline, the city will be attacked by several Magic Anomalies. These creatures have no physical form and only float in the air like a ghost, but they can do serious damage. You’ll have to protect the city of Windhelm and its citizen by defeating all the Magic Anomalies attacking the place.

Steps

1

Begin the “Containment” quest. If you’re playing the Winterhold storyline and are currently doing the “Revealing the Unseen” quest, play through the mission, and right after Savos Aren (the arch-mage of the College) attempts to talk to Ancano (the antagonist at this stage), there will be an explosion and the game screen will turn all white. This marks the beginning of the “Containment” quest.

2

Talk to Tolfdir. He is one of the master wizards of the college. After the game screen goes back to normal, go outside from the Hall of Elements where the explosion occurred to the courtyard. There you’ll find the old male wizard named Tolfdir. He will tell you that Savos Aren did not survive the explosion and that Winterhold is being attacked by several Magic Anomalies.

3

Head down to the city. After talking to Tolfdir, head down to the city by taking the Winterhold Bridge right across the Hall of Elements.

4

Recruit Faralda. She’s the Altmer sorcerer guarding the bridge of Winterhold. Talk to her when you see her on the bridge and tell her what’s happening. She will then join you in fighting the Magic Anomalies.

This step is optional, but recruiting Faralda can be a great help in distracting all the other anomalies while you fight one at a time, making the battle easier for you.

5

Kill the Magic Anomalies. There will be 10 of these creatures roaming around the city of Winterhold. Though they may seem formless, Magic Anomalies can actually be damaged by physical attacks. Use whatever weapon or spell you have at your disposal to take care of these creatures.

Once you’ve killed all the anomalies, you’re done protecting Winterhold. You can choose to go back to the college and speak to a female master wizard named Mirabelle Ervine to complete the “Containment” quest, or go somewhere else and finish it later.